The advent of industrial automation and computerization has resulted in increased manufacturing efficiency and productivity, but also created previously unknown problems in production workflow and process validation. For example, the high throughput and complexity of many modern manufacturing processes, particularly those that include computer numerical control (CNC) systems, may sometimes result in the inadvertent selection of an incorrect command sequence for a piece of computer-controlled machinery.
As a result of such an error, a workpiece or sub-assembly that may have been the result of dozens of previous manufacturing and/or assembly steps may be accidentally ruined by an inappropriate and undesired machining process, at a potential loss of thousands or even millions of dollars.
What is needed is a system that provides verification for such automated manufacturing processes and prevents such costly errors.